Wasn't Carlos Kleiber the greatest conductor of the 20th century?

Question

Wasn't Carlos Kleiber the greatest conductor of the 20th century?

Answer 1

It is too bad his discography is so small. His version of Beethoven's 5 and 7 that he recorded with the Vienna Philharmonic is iconic. His live version of Beethoven 4 is equally definitive.

He was rarely interviewed and was very much a private figure, so little is known about him other than what has been conveyed anecdotally.

He was truly one of the great conductors of the twentieth century.

Answer 2

It's quite a ridiculous contention! Perhaps this is your opinion (and that of the eminent musicians you have cited), but you will find another hundred opinions from equally eminent people just as valid as yours and those above. I admire the (small) legacy that Kleiber left behind, but he was hardly the most adventurous or far-reaching of conductors, was he? By suggesting he was the 'greatest conductor of the 20th century', you are discounting other conductors that others could equally claim deserved this title:



Thomas Beecham

Leonard Bernstein

Adrian Boult

Sergiu Celidibache

Ferenc Friscay

Wilhelm Furtwängler

Nikolai Golovanov

Bernard Haitink

Jascha Horenstein

Rudolf Kempe

Kirill Kondrashin

Serge Koussevitzky

Charles Mackerras

Willem Mengelberg

Dimitri Mitropoulos

Pierre Monteux

Fritz Reiner

Leopold Stokowski

Yevgeny Svetlanov

George Szell

Václav Talich

Arturo Toscanini

Bruno Walter

Felix Weingartner



And there are plenty of contenders that other contributors will feel I have omitted.

Answer 3

I share your enthusiasm; his grasp of any score he chose to conduct, was of its integral core; and he interpreted it always with consummate integrity.



But "the" greatest conductor of the 20th century?



I would subscribe to "one" of. His skills/genius were in my opinion not superior to some others. To mention only a few of his equals:



Arturo Toscanini: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arturo_Toscanini_Discography



Fritz Reiner: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fritz_Reiner



Artur Rodzinski: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artur_Rodzi%C5%84ski



Alberich

Answer 4

that is tough to %. only 5, and once you %. one there are various others which you will %. for the comparable motives, yet: Eugene Ormandy - for the excellent, heat sound, readability and precise execution he pulled from the Philadelphia Orchestra. Bruno Walter- a experienced artist no remember if attaining a symphony orchestra or an opera or taking part in the piano and gave us the international maximum appropriate of Mahler's 9th. Otto Klemperer - for his experience of orchestral stability, musical honesty and performances of Wagner. Arturo Toscanini - for his mythical perfectionism, his great awareness of orchestral repertoire and great performances of Brahms, Beethoven and Wagner between others. Leonard Bernstein (basically slightly over George Solti) - a consummate conductor, composer and educator, for bringing classical track to the greater youthful together with his youngsters's stay shows. Edit: Like I stated, in case you %. basically 5 somebody only as great gets skipped over. Fritz Reiner grow to be only as at domicile with the symphony as with the opera. He grow to be a learn interior the financial gadget of gesture in attaining and a enthusiast on coaching. significant Bartok and Strauss interpretations. Musician, composer, instructor.

Answer 5

No, he sucked balls.

Answer 6

Carlos Kleiber had an unparalleled eloquence, the profoundest mastery of score, and a devotion to music of the Ecstatic. Anyone lucky enough to have seen one of his rare performances invariably declares it to have been unique, overwhelming, utterly engrossing.



His private repertoire was much larger than his public. He chose to work on the few occasions when every star was aligned. When he did? Good Lord, it was amazing.